Post-cap.



No. 725,527. l PATENTBDAPR.14, 1903. R. W. WHITEHURST.

POST GAP.- APPLIOATION FILED JAN. 3, 1903. H0 MODEL.

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UNITED f STATES,

rPATENT OFFICE.'

ROBERT wrII'rnIIURsT, OF NORFOLK, vIRGINIA. Y.

POST-CAP. v

SPECIFICATION forming part vof `Letters.Patent No. 725,527, `dated..April 14,1903. y rApplication filed J'anuaryS, 1903.y Serial No.137,649. (No model I To all whom it mag/concern?, I

Be. it Yknown that I, ROBERT W. WHITE- HURST, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Norfolk, in the countyof Norfolk and State,

of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inPost-Caps, of which Vthe following is a specification.- f

This invention'relates to improvements in post-caps which are designedforuse in buildings to support one post vertically above another and to.support also the girders. b

The object of the invention is to provide an improved post-cap of thischaracter which will so support the post above it and also the grders asto allow the latter to fall out in j case'of a fire or from any othercause Withtions,arrangements,and combination of parts,

out danger `of tearing down the posts and which will tend to protecttheposts from` catching fire from burning-vgirders.

The Invention consists of certainconstruchereinafter fully described andclaimed, refer- `encebeing had to the accompanying drawin gs,

in whichen y Figure 1 is a perspective cal sectionalview thereof inapplied position.

' Fig. 3 is a top plan view of thepost-cap with the top plate removed.Fig.` 4 lis, a bottom plan view of said top plate.

top plate for said modified form o'f post-cap.,l

The post-cap illustrated in Figs. l to 4, in-

A elusive, comprises a base-plate a, provided on its under side with asocket b, adapted to` y iitover the upper` end of thelowerpost'c.`

It also comprises two vertical side walls d, rising from said base-plateand provided in their upper edges with V-shaped grooves or nicks e, anda central vertical web or partition f, extending from thebase-plate tothe i upper edges of the side wallsjand from one side wall to the other,A,thereby dividing' the post-cap into two entirely separate compartmentsg for the reception of the `ends of the girders h, and said webalsoprovided in i-ts vupper edges `with V-shaped nicks fi, and a top platejis supported on the upper edges of said web and sideV walls, said topplate beview ofone form of the improved post-cap. Fig. 2 is a verti-Fig. 5 is a perl' spective view of a modified form of post-cap.

ing provided onfits under side with rvlugs" lc, fit-v ting in the nickse and t tohold Vit secure and prevent'it from skewing, and provided inits upper side `with. a socket or depressiony Z, in `which is seated thelower end of the upper ostjc'. The accom an in@ drawings illusp p b D`trate the base-plate, tw'o side walls, and cen'- l tral web orpartition, all cast or formed inione integral stru cturefbut said partsmay also bev madel separable 'and secured together, although theintegral structure is preferable.

' Two studs m project from the upper surface of the base-plate a ouopposite sides of the web f, and each .girder isprovided with'a socketn,which 4receivesone ofthe said studs, so as to securethe girder inAplaceand prevent any longitudinal movement of the same. The end of eachgirder is beveled on top, as indicated at o, Fig; 2.

From the foregoing'description of the parts itis evident; rst, thatwiththe improved constructionv off=post'cap th'e'weight of the gird-vers is supported directly over the post which is below their ends andnot upon any base.

plate iianges which project beyond said post;

second, that in case the girders. should fall or break down by reason offire or anyother `cause the beveled ends ofthe girders will allow thellatter to tilt'outwardly from the post without tearing the latterdown,v and, third, that the upper rpost c' is supported entirely freefrom 'contact' with the girders, thereby minimizing the vdanger of itscatching re from al burning gi-rder. AThese advantages are also presentin the modified form of post.

"cap illustrated in Figs. 5 lto 8, inclusive. U b sThe-main'difference,betweenthe post-cap before described .and themodified post-cap ers and the latter being formed to support fourgirders'or may support only three girdf ers, if preferred. Thewebf,therefore, of thek modification is cruciform, as best seen in 'nowto be described are dierences of form, y the former being formed tosupport two gird- Fig. 6, and is disposed diagonally with re-v spect tothe postsockept b' on the 4under side of the base-plate a', as indicatedin Fig. 7, whereby toform V-shaped compartments g' for the reception of"the ends of the girders, and in each compartment is a stud m', similarto the stud m of the other 'construction of post-cap. Thev lupper edgeof the web f IOO is provided with V-shaped nicks t", which, as shown inFig. 6, are disposed obliquely therein, and the top platej' is providedon its under side with corresponding lugs 7o to enter said nicks andretain the top plate in proper position and prevent it from skew/ing.The top plete is also providedwith a socket or depression Z to receivethe lower end of the upper post. The girders (not shown) intended to besupported by this modified form of post-cap must have V-shaped ends tocorrespond to the like shape of the compfirtments g@ in which they arereceived.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A post cap, comprisingT a base plete adapted to be secured to theupper end of a post; s vertical web supported by said baseplate andproducing compartments for the reception of the ends of girders or thelike, sind said web provided in its upper edge with nicks; and a, topplate supported on said web and adapted to be secured to the lower endof a post and provided on its under side with lugs taking in said nicks.

2. A post czrp, comprising,r :t base plate adapted to be secured to theupper end of a post; a Vertical Web supported bysuid baseplate andproducing compartments for the reception of the ends of girders or thelike, and said web provided in its upper edge with nicks; a top platesupported on said web and adapted to be secured to the lower end of apost and provided on its under side with lugs taking in said nicks; anda stud on the base-plate in eachcompartment adapted to be engaged by theends of girders or the like,

as and for the purpose set forth. i

In testimony whereof I aiix my signature in the presence of twoWitnesses.

ROBERT W. WIIITEIIURST.

